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Links * Center for Science in the Public Interest Momentum is building to get soda and junk food out of schools. One remaining barrier is that many principals, school board members and other school officials oppose such efforts for fear their schools will lose revenue. Yet, experience is showing that switching to healthier foods does not cause schools to lose money. We need your help to reach out to school officials to ask them to urge key education organizations (such as the National School Board Association, National Middle School Association and National Association of Secondary School Principals) to support the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act (for more information on the bill see http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/fedschoolfoods.pdf). How you can help: 1) Locate your local principals and school board members and obtain their e-mail addresses. Most schools and school boards have Web sites to help you find this information. If you need help identifying local school officials, contact us for assistance: Dana Roberts, CSPI, droberts@cspinet.org or call 202-777-8352. 2) Send an e-mail to school principals and school board members in your community asking them to sign on to a letter to key education organizations in support of school foods reform. A sample letter from you to your school official(s) is below, as is the sign-on letter to education organizations. Please ask them to sign on to by contacting Dana Roberts at droberts@cspinet.org or 202-777-8352. Thank you very much for your support! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Subject line for e-mail to school officials: Please Help Improve School Foods Message for e-mail to school officials: I urge you to sign the letter below to the National School Board Association, National Middle School Association, and National Association of Secondary School Principals and urge these influential organizations to support the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act. This national bill calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update its nutrition standards, set in 1979, for foods sold through vending machines, a la carte, and other venues outside of school meals to ensure that the standards are consistent with current science and address present-day concerns about children's diets and health. The current standards no longer make sense. For instance, seltzer water and breath mints may not be sold, but chocolate candy bars and chips may be. To sign on to the letter below, please e-mail droberts@cspinet.org. In your e-mail, please provide your name, title, school or school district, city, and state. Also, please forward this e-mail to other school board members or principals who you think would be interested in signing on. For more information or if you have questions, contact Dana Roberts at the Center for Science in the Public Interest: droberts@cspinet.org or 202-777-8352. ________________________________________________ * National School Boards Association * National Association of Secondary School Principals * National Middle School Association Dear : We, the undersigned board members/superintendents/school principals, urge the (National School Boards Association/ National Middle School Association/National Association of Secondary School Principals) to endorse the bipartisan, bicameral Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act (S. 2592/H.R. 5167). As education professionals, we value children's health, and recognize the importance of good nutrition to children's well-being and ability to learn. This bill calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update its nutrition standards, set in 1979, for foods sold through vending machines, a la carte, and other venues outside of meals to ensure that the standards are consistent with current science and address present-day concerns about children's diets and health. The current standards no longer make sense. For instance, seltzer water and breath mints may not be sold, but chocolate candy bars and chips may be. While most areas of education are regulated at the local or state level, school food has long been a federal issue. Congress and USDA set detailed standards for school lunches and breakfasts, and the federal government invests $10 billion a year in these programs. In addition, most states and localities leave the development of dietary guidance to federal agencies. According to USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), students will buy and consume healthful foods and beverages and schools can make money from selling healthful options. Their survey of 17 schools and school districts found that, after improving school foods, 12 schools and districts increased revenue and four reported no change. One school district initially lost revenue after improving its foods, but later its revenues increased and even surpassed previous levels. A national poll by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that 90% of parents and teachers support the conversion of school vending machine contents to healthy beverages and foods. The sale of low-nutrition foods in schools undermines parents' ability to help their children eat healthfully. Other national education-related organizations, including National PTA, the National Education Association, and the National Association of State Boards of Education, as well as 90 health-related organizations, have endorsed the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act. We urge you to join them in supporting this bill. Sincerely, Name Title School or School District City, State category:Planks_from_elsewhere